Protecting my Pack
by Saphura
Summary: Satchmo tries to protect Elizabeth. Scene from "Countdown", branching into "Checkmate".


Hello out there. This is a little piece that came into my head not to long ago. At the end of "Countdown", we see Satchmo (or a dog that looks like him), being led by a FBI agent into another room. Well, this is what happened, from Satchmo's POV. If you haven't seen the episode, it is up to you if you wish to continue or not. This is my first White Collar fiction, as well as my first attempt at 1st person POV.

Without further ado, here we go. Please Review when you finish!

Jan. 18: After watching the premiere last night, I have modified this chapter to follow what the show suggested more closely (is that even grammatically correct?). If you have read it before, you can skip this one if you want, or re-read it.

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><p>Elizabeth puts down the phone, and I look up at her. My tail wags, causing her to smile.<p>

"Yes," she says. "Peter is coming home soon."

My tail wags harder. I haven't seen Peter all day. I can see it now: He'll walk through the door, greet Elizabeth, and I will run over. He will tussle my ears before taking Elizabeth and…

'_What was that?_'

The thought flies through my head as I get to my paws and hurry over to the door. I bark, telling it I am here. The hairs on my back stand up.

"What's wrong, Satch?"

I blink, and woof at the door again. Something, some_one_, was out there. I could smell it, and I heard it. And I didn't like it at all.

"Satchmo, stop it! There is nothing out there."

She was wrong, of course, but she is a human. They were normally wrong about such things. She looked out the window, and shook her head before turning around to face me.

"See, nothing." She held the blinds open. I tilted my head. Didn't she know my eyesight was not that good? I may not be able to see what is out there, but I can still smell it. It is another human, one who is not Peter.

Peter: the Alpha. He called earlier to say he would be late, as usual. He and Elizabeth are my family, my pack; I'd do anything for them. Especially if there is a treat involved.

She goes back to cooking. There are sausages in that pot. I look at the door. I open my mouth to bark once more.

"Satchamo!"

I pin my ears back and my back hairs go down. Elizabeth stands there with her hands on her hips with a face that means I did something wrong. I don't like that face.

"Come over here," she says, pointing at the spot I normally sit when she's cooking dinner. I don't move. Why doesn't she understand?

"Peter will be home soon," she says. "Now, come over here!"

I keep my head low as I walk over and sit down. I don't want to anger her (then she wouldn't give me any of that delicious stuff she is making), but I want her to…

My ears prick up, and I bark. Elizabeth spins around, and screams. A man is standing there. In my house. And he is not Peter. Or Neal, or any of their friends. I stand as the hairs on my back stand up and a growl rumbles out.

"Who are you?" Elizabeth cries. "What do you want?"

"I want you, Mrs. Burke," the man says. "You are coming with me."

He pulls out a leash. No, not a leash, it is rope. Elizabeth turns a lighter color than normal. She glances at the phone on the table. I continue to watch the man. No one will take my Elizabeth! I growl out a warning for him to leave.

The man looks nervous for a second. He doesn't realize that I am just as nervous.

"Don't bother calling for help," the man says. "Keller has already called your husband. But we will be long gone before he, or anyone else, ever gets here."

"Keller!" Elizabeth gasps.

I don't know who Keller is, though I have heard Peter say that name. Elizabeth's muscles tense up, like a frightened squirrel. She is ready to bolt. The man inches forward, bearing his teeth. He wants to hurt her. He wants to hurt my Elizabeth. My pack.

I won't let that happen.

I bark and lunge forward at the man. My teeth snap at the air, ready to dig into the enemy. The man makes a startled sound and tries to move away.

Too late. My teeth bite into the man's hand. Blood fills my mouth. Some part of me enjoys the taste. Another part is repulsed. The man cries out like the wounded animal that he is; he tries to shake me off. He gets lucky as I let go momentarily for a better hold. My back paws slip and I fall to the ground. I try to scramble to my paws.

I howl as pain flies through me. I crash to the ground again, unable to move. The man spins to face Elizabeth. She throws something at him and bolts. The pot from the stove crashes to the floor. The man and Elizabeth struggle until he places his hand across her mouth. Seconds later she goes limp.

"Stupid dog," I hear him say, and then nothing.

Next thing I know, someone is shaking me. I whimper.

"Hey there, big guy," someone whispers. I don't recognize the voice, but a quick sniff of his hand reveals he is a friend. He smells like Peter after a day at work. I lick him, and just like Peter he tastes of paper, plastic, other humans, and lots of coffee.

"Can you get up?" the man asks. He nudges me gently, and I slowly get to my paws. My shoulder hurts, so does my head. My entire body is stiff.

Elizabeth and the man are gone, and I couldn't protect her.

I see Peter, my Alpha, as the man takes me to another room. I hang my head, and cry. I failed him. I failed my pack.

Elizabeth is gone, and I couldn't protect her.

I howl once, and lie down. There is nothing more this old dog can do. It is up to the humans now.


End file.
